# Help ID this bug **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720 "2015-03-10T20:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/1 "2015-03-10T20:14:17Z")
On my daily walk, I’ve been seeing a LOT of this one type of bug, and it would be interesting to know what it was. Here’s a description: It’s about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, with a mostly charcoal-colored, teardrop-shaped body. The body is somewhat flattened, and has a rose / red / pink / purple stripe running around the outside of the teardrop shape. It seems to have 6 legs and 2 long antennae. It doesn’t seem to fly. At least I haven’t seen it flying. The most distinctive thing is that I see almost half of the bugs stuck together tail to tail. I’m assuming this is mating. I haven’t stuck (heh) around long enough to see if they ever get detached. I live in Silicon Valley, and I see these things walking on sidewalks and parking lots. In the places where they are abundant, I might see 1 every 2 square feet, or so. Any idea what these might be? J. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/2 "2015-03-10T20:34:50Z")
Some type of “True Bug”- probably a stinkbug or an ambush bug. Do a Google image search on “True Bug” and see if you can find it. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/3 "2015-03-10T20:34:58Z")
Is it a stink bug? The link describes a particular species; the ones we have here in Sacramento are similar to the picture, but a little more uniformly gray and less mottled than is one. [Google image search](https://www.google.com/search?q=google+images+stink+bug&espv=2&biw=1611&bih=965&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=P1X_VLLRMZLkoATU5YHwBw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=stink+bug) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/4 "2015-03-11T01:02:37Z")
[Boxelder bug](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2010/05/boxelders_mating_sara.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/5 "2015-03-11T04:00:34Z")
Goddammit Colibri, you know bugs too? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/6 "2015-03-11T04:12:15Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Goddammit Colibri, you know bugs too? I’m SD Curator of Critters. I know everything about all that flies, swims, crawls, walks, runs, hops, or burrows in the mud.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/7 "2015-03-11T17:33:25Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Boxelder bug](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2010/05/boxelders_mating_sara.jpg) This is really, really close, but not quite right. The “tail to tail” behavior is right on. The coloring is close, but not quite right. The bugs I see have only a stripe around the edge. These boxelder bugs have coloring across the body, not just around the edge. The bugs I see only have coloring around the edge. J. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/8 "2015-03-11T20:20:41Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > This is really, really close, but not quite right. The “tail to tail” behavior is right on. The coloring is close, but not quite right. The bugs I see have only a stripe around the edge. These boxelder bugs have coloring across the body, not just around the edge. The bugs I see only have coloring around the edge. [Red-shouldered bugs](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2013/10/31/mating-red-shouldered-bugs-4/), perhaps? The link goes to a biology prof in Glendale, CA trying to identify them, so they’re in your part of the country. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/9 "2015-03-11T20:33:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Boxelder bug](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2010/05/boxelders_mating_sara.jpg) Are these related to “love bugs” (do not know their actual name)? They look similar but different colors, being primarily all black. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/10 "2015-03-11T21:51:32Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > On my daily walk, I’ve been seeing a LOT of this one type of bug, and it would be interesting to know what it was. Here’s a description: > > It’s about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, with a mostly charcoal-colored, teardrop-shaped body. > The body is somewhat flattened, and has a rose / red / pink / purple stripe running around the outside of the teardrop shape. > It seems to have 6 legs and 2 long antennae. > It doesn’t seem to fly. At least I haven’t seen it flying. > The most distinctive thing is that I see almost half of the bugs stuck together tail to tail. I’m assuming this is mating. I haven’t stuck (heh) around long enough to see if they ever get detached. > > I live in Silicon Valley, and I see these things walking on sidewalks and parking lots. In the places where they are abundant, I might see 1 every 2 square feet, or so. > > Any idea what these might be? > > J. Do they have red eyes? ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/11 "2015-03-12T00:52:41Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > [Red-shouldered bugs](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2013/10/31/mating-red-shouldered-bugs-4/), perhaps? The link goes to a biology prof in Glendale, CA trying to identify them, so they’re in your part of the country. These are closer, and just may be them. I’ll have to get a much closer look at the bugs next time I see them. Thanks, J. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/12 "2015-03-12T02:11:50Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > Are these related to “love bugs” (do not know their actual name)? They look similar but different colors, being primarily all black. If you’re talking about [Plecia nearctica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebug), they’re actually a fly species, so an entirely different order within Insecta. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/13 "2015-03-13T20:43:05Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > This is really, really close, but not quite right. The “tail to tail” behavior is right on. The coloring is close, but not quite right. The bugs I see have only a stripe around the edge. These boxelder bugs have coloring across the body, not just around the edge. The bugs I see only have coloring around the edge. > > J. The coloring varies on the time of year and the climate. And 'round here we call them boxelder beetles. They’re very sensitive if you just call them ‘bugs’. I’ve had infestations of these things, and although in a regular year they look one way, in a hard year they look another. Also, they change colors as they grow older. And AFAIK, there’s nothing to do with infestations other than to pressure wash them off the outside of the house with soapy water and vacuum them up inside the house. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/14 "2015-03-13T20:56:17Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > [Red-shouldered bugs](http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2013/10/31/mating-red-shouldered-bugs-4/), perhaps? The link goes to a biology prof in Glendale, CA trying to identify them, so they’re in your part of the country. After looking at them more closely, I think they are red-shouldered bugs. The coloration does change from one to another somewhat. My description of the rose colored stripe on the outside of their body isn’t true for any of the ones I saw today. The red shoulders do appear on the ones I saw. Thanks for the help, everyone. J. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-bug/714720/15 "2015-03-13T21:15:05Z")
> [@Marion\_Wormer](#): > > The coloring varies on the time of year and the climate. And 'round here we call them boxelder beetles. They’re very sensitive if you just call them ‘bugs’. They actually are true bugs (order Hemiptera), not beetles (order Coleoptera). I refuse to lie to spare their feelings! :mad: